OneFineAcre
Herd Master
What is your degree in?
Here in NC the poultry and hog companies hire a lot of college graduates.
Here in NC the poultry and hog companies hire a lot of college graduates.
How would you recommend I get started?
- Thread starter Doug M
- Start date
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- #12
Doug M
Exploring the pasture
business management
Baymule
Herd Master
You could become a WWOOF'er. It is a loosely grouped farms and volunteers on organic farms. You (I suppose) are single with no ties, so it would be a good way for you to get down and dirty on the farm and get some real experience. The program goes like this: You volunteer on a farm for no pay, but you get free room and board. Generally you work half a day and have the other half to go tour the area, like a long vacation. In your case, you could go get a job, waiting tables in a restaurant, McDonalds, Walmart, anything-to meet your personal expenses. You provide your own transportation. It is a good way for small farms to get some help and for people with no experience to get their feet wet. You might have a marvelous time or you could draw a dud. It is an agreement, if it works out, stay longer, if it is not a fit for you or the host family, move on to the next one. It is a world wide organization, you might want to stay in the USA to learn, since you will be farming here.
https://wwoofusa.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1d_eh9LM3wIVjDRpCh3crwCsEAAYASAAEgIfT_D_BwE
https://wwoofusa.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1d_eh9LM3wIVjDRpCh3crwCsEAAYASAAEgIfT_D_BwE
greybeard
Herd Master
Sounds a bit like some kind of commune or cult........
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Baymule
Herd Master
Some of them may be, the Permies crowd is always looking for people to populate their "groups". Those I would stay far, far away from. The WWOOF'er crowd tends to be more small farms that need help and most cannot afford a full time hired hand. WWOOFing might be a good experience if the OP cannot find an internship of a job in order to gain much needed experience. Like I said, it could be a dud, if so, move on to the next one. At any rate, he can read and study the site. There might be a host family that he would enjoy working with.
OneFineAcre
Herd Master
That's a good idea.
OneFineAcre
Herd Master
Yeah.
One of my wife's former vendors has an organic farm. He left her farmer's market to concentrate on some other markets in Raleigh where people will pay $25 for an organic roasting chicken and $7 for a dozen organic eggs.
He usually has a couple of WWOOFers working at any given time.
They do a lot of partying
OneFineAcre
Herd Master
Something you could look into.
Although, NC State provides a steady stream of animal science graduates.
Simpleterrier
True BYH Addict
My suggestion is to get a good job that can support you and your hobbies. And do it all on your own u won't need gov aid. Trying to get big and make a living would be just to flood the market more then it is already. If u can keep in the postitive then u will be ok. I raise a steer a few hogs and breed 3 to 4 goats plus sell some chickens. And at the end of the year I get free eggs and and pork and beef that is cheaper then the store. But if I figured labor in the forget it. But I do things differently then most and some would not agree with me
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- #20
Doug M
Exploring the pasture
true, thats what I was thinking I would do to get started but after a while I would think I could switch over to full time farming.
